Sprinkler.



JOSEPH A. MCELROY, OF` NEW YORK, N. Y.

SPRINKLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 16, 1912.

Application led January 3, 1911. Serial No. 600,389.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, .JOSEPH A. McELRoY,A

a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of New York,county and State of New York, have invented certain new and uselulImprovements in Sprinklers, of which the following is a specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formintga partthereof.

My invention relates to sprinkler heads ofthe class employed in reextinguisher systems and consists in a novel form and construction bywhich a valve is norlnally held tight against its seat but is displacedunder tire conditions, by the melting of a fusible connection.

The main objects of my invention are to improve and simplify structuresof this character, and particularly to increase their sensitiveness sothat'they will be promptly and surely operated under fire conditions.

To these ends my invention consists in certain novel details ot'construction and arrangement of parts, and in order that my inventionmay be fully understood, I will now proceed to describe a structureconstitilting an embodiment thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings illustrating the same, and will then vpoint outthe novel features in claims.

[n the drawings: Figure 1 is a view in part side elevation and partcentral longitudinal section of a sprinkler head con i structed inaccordance with my invention.

Fig. 9. is a view in central .longitudinal section therethrough upon aplane at right angles to the plane of section ot Fig. 1. is a detailperspective view ot' ccrtain intermediate spacing elements employed,showing them as individually separated, as well as removed t'rom theremaining' striwture.

'lhe device in general comprisesI a tubular hub 5 externallyscrew-threadcd so that it may be readily connected to the end otl :ipipe, the upper portion of'the said hub constituting' a valve seat, ayoke 7 in the torm otl arms which risc upward trom the said hub, anadjustabhi abutment H support` ed by the said yoke at its upper end, avalve f) fitted to the said valve .scat (l, and intel'- mediate spacinglelements lt), ll :ind 12, disposed between the abutment H and the valveil. 'lhe elements l() and l2 are angular in t'orm as is clearly shown inlt`igs. 2 and il, the longer arms thcreotI being` disposed vel'-ticallhy, and the shorter armsA horizontally and 1n respectiveengagement with the said abutmentjl and valve 9. The long arms of theelements 10 and 12 are arranged to be united by means of the element 1lwhich constitutes a connecting strip, the said element being soldered tothe elements 10and 1l as shown at 13, in Fig. 2;y by a forni of solderhaving the required low melting or fusing point. Intermediate its endsthe element 11 is provided with a central Stud 14 which constitutes anabutment Aagainst which the extremities of the-longer arms 10 and 12bear. These extremities "a1-e preferably pointed appears in l1`iig,.,t2,whereby their point of engagement. is lilitlted, and for convenience inassembling the pyarts the stud 14 may be provided with a head 15. Theelements 10V and 12 are convenient-ly provided each with a lateralvabutment Q0 disposed above and below the extremities of the element 1l,preferably in close proximity, but out of direct contact', therewith, aportion of the fusible solder 13 bridging the slight gap thus lett. 'lheabutment 8 is conveniently in the form of a threaded studhaving apointed end which bears against the short arm of the upper intermediateelement 10 and the upper extremity ot the stud is conveniently providedwith :v cap 16 which serves not onlyns a part by which the abutment Smay bey adjusted, but also as a detlectinn' device in the operationofthe sprinkler. 'l'lie'upper side ot thejalve t) is provided with acentral conical projection 1T in line with the pointed end of theabutment S and which bears alg'ainst the short arm of the loweriuteriediate member 12. 'lhe longitudinal arms it the members l0 and 12are arranged in a line to one sid: ot' the central line which passesthrough the pointed extremity ot vhe almtu'ient H and the conicalprojection lT of the valve E) as clearly appears in Fig. Q.

When the parts are assembled as isshown in Figs. 1. and L of thedrawings, the abutment 3 is so adjusted that the valve 9 iS Vforced downupon the seat, it being understood that pressure is normally applied toli't't the valve either by compressed air 4in the pipe to which the hub5 is -onnected in a dry pipe system, or b y water under pressure in suchpipe, in such systems wherein water is allowed,normally to rcst in thedistributing pipes. Under cmulitions ote lire, the solder lil will be.melted and by reason ot' elle factthat there is but asingle thickness of.metal4 on either side of the solder, such solder will be quicklyy'fused at such times.` /Vhen the solder is so fused the fluid pressurebeneath the valve will immediately break joint between the elements and12, owing to the fact that the line of 'pressure throughout is t out ofline with the' longitudinal portions 1 thereof; The 'parts 10, 11 and 12will be thrown out of .position laterally and apart,

` and the valve 9 will fly away from its seat,

so as to forma clear passage for the water Vwhich at. this time will beadmitted through the hub 5. i This water will strike the upper in a inespray throughout a considerable zone, as is common in this class ofdevice.

It will be noted that while the lateral abutments act' to strengthen thedevice,

in that less dependence is placed upon the fsiblesolder union betweenthe elements 10 and 12 and the element 11, and the engage' engage theAextremities of the element 11 so.

that when the solder fuses there is no connection or engagement betweenthem at all.

@The valve may be of any suit-able form :but preferably the face thereofis composed of two aluminum disks 18 with a disk 19 of cork betweenthem. The aluminum is substantially non-corrosive and hence obviates anytendency f the valve to stick to lits seat, vdue to corrosion, while thecork forms a yielding cushion whose function is to absorb vibration, andlto permit the valve to be forced to its seat with a yielding pressure.

but in the same directiom said armsbeingv adapted to receive the holdingpressure for.

4What I claim is: 1. A strut for sprinkler heads comprising a' pair of.flat members in alinement with each other, short arms projecting atright angles from `opposite ends of said members Jche'*sprinkler valve,and a liat connecting strip soldered to the side of said membersopposite the arms, said striphaving a stud deiecting element- 16I andwill be distributed projecting centrally therefrom in the direction ofsaid armsbetween the ends of said members which are away from said arms.

2. A strut for Ysprinklerheads comprising a pair of flat members inalinement with each other, short arms projecting at right angles fromopposite ends of said-members but in the same direction, said arms beingadapted to receive the holdin pressure forr` the sprinkler avalve, and aat connecting strip soldered.. to the side of said members oppositeLthtaarms, said strip having a stud projecting centrally therefrom inthe direction of said arms between the ends of said members which areaway 4from said arms, said stud forming an abutment for the arms and.being provided with al shoulder to nor mally prevent lateral movementof said' ends.

T3. A strut for sprinkler heads comprising a pair of flat members inalinement with each other, short arms projectingA at right angles fromopposite ends of said members but in theY same direction, said armsbeing adapted to receive the holding pressure for the sprinkler valve,and a flat connecting strip soldered t'o the side-of .said membersyopposite the arms, said strip having a stud projecting centrallytherefrom in the direction of said arms between the ends of said memberswhich are away from the said arms, said stud forming an abutment for thearms and being provided with a shoulder to normally prevent lateralmovement of 'said ends, said abutting ends being sharpened.

4. A strut .for sprinkler heads comprising a pair of flat members inalinement with 'each other, short arms projecting at right angles fromopposite ends of said members but 1n the same direction, said arms being4adapted to receive the holding pressure for the sprinkler valve, and afiat -connecting strip soldered to the side of said members opposite thearms, said'strip having a stud projecting centrally therefrom in thevdirection of said arms between the vends of said members whichl areaway from said arms, said members having transverse abutments ontheirsides to which said strip is soldered,y

in proximity to theopposite extremities of the strip.

JOSEPH A. MCELROY.

lVitness-es:

J. C. HARTMANN, LYMAN S. ANDREWS, Jr.

